Ukrainian Skyeton secures $10.6M US army contract

The US Army will procure Raybird reconnaissance UAVs and related services from Ukrainian company Skyeton. The US Department of War announced the contract. The deal is worth $10.64 million.

The contract was signed by the US Army Contracting Command and Skyeton Inc., the Ukrainian company’s US subsidiary. The supplier is to deliver the products by approximately 15 December 2026.

Raybird is Skyeton’s flagship product. It is a fixed-wing UAV designed for long-endurance reconnaissance missions. The internal-combustion-engine version has a flight endurance of more than 28 hours, a range of over 2,500 km and a maximum altitude of 5,500 metres.

In early 2026, Skyeton also unveiled an electric version of the Raybird powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. As of January, the hybrid could stay airborne for around 12 hours, while Skyeton engineers said they planned to extend its endurance to 20 hours. Despite its shorter flight time, the electric Raybird is quieter and leaves almost no thermal signature.

Throughout 2026, the manufacturer also announced several Raybird upgrades, including an interceptor-drone detection module, a radiation sensor, and satellite communications.